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Monday, January 18, 2016

It's week three of Veganuary, and time to shine some light on and share some love with another great vegan cookbook. This week I'm looking at Vegan Everyday, a weighty cookbook filled with vegan and gluten-free recipes from Toronto chef Doug McNish. Read on to enter to win this fab recipe collection.

Today I'm sharing two of the 500 (500!) recipes featured in Vegan Everyday. I chose two healthy entrees that I feel sure will help you with any new year's goals around healthy eating you (and I) may have. This Buddhist Noodle Bowl, above, combines silky soba noodles with a rich, salty broth, aromatic ginger and crunchy fresh vegetables. A simple and satisfying evening meal.

I have also included the cover recipe, because how healthy and delicious do these Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Tacos look? Perhaps it could be your next fave Taco Tuesday recipe! Let's jazz things up a bit okay? This new twist on traditional Mexican fare promises to add spice to your diet, along with a wide range of nutrients.

With 500 recipes in Vegan Everyday, you know there are going to be great choices for every meal and snack. Like this Scrambled Tofu With Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and Peppers that I made for breakfast one day, above. Simple and delicious. (I served it along with fruit and vegan sausage.)

The recipes reflect creator Doug McNish's background as a chef, yet he has put the focus on ensuring they are easy to prepare and appealing to vegans and non-vegans alike. Plus they are all gluten-free! All of the recipes use clean, whole food ingredients. No refined flours or sugars are called for.

"Eating vegan is easy and requires very little time," says McNish. "Cooking quinoa, rice and other legumes is usually as easy as one pot and some seasoning. Steaming or sauteing some leafy greens is no more than 10 minutes start to finish. I think the key to remember is that anything can be looked at as a lot of work if you are not enjoying it. I think that making meal prep fun and enjoyable (no matter what diet you follow) is one of the keys to success and enjoyment."

Buy The Book!

Visit Lisa!

Be sure to visit Lisa, The Viet Vegan, to read her thoughts on the cookbook she has chosen for this week of Veganuary - The Rawsome Vegan Cookbook.

Enter To Win!

And proceed down to the bottom of the post to enter to win a copy of Vegan Everyday! Head over to this post for two other giveaways involving tons o' vegan cookbooks, including my week one feature, How It All Vegan. You can also access those two giveaways via this post about my second week's book, Salad Samurai (which is a prize in the group giveaway). I'm also hosting a giveaway for two exciting books that are sure to whip you into shape this year.

In a large bowl, toss together cabbage, cilantro, red pepper, olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Set aside.

Avocado Drizzle

In blender, combine avocado, water, olive oil, lime juice, lemon juice and salt. Process until smooth and creamy. (Store leftover drizzle in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

Assembly

Spoon chickpea-cauliflower filling into taco shells. Top with slaw and a liberal

amount of avocado drizzle. Serve with lime wedges and hot sauce on the side.

Tips

Use either chickpeas you have cooked yourself or canned, preferably with no salt added. When using canned legumes that contain salt, be sure to rinse and drain them thoroughly before using.

If cooking dried chickpeas, you can use your slow cooker or cook them on the stovetop.

A hand-held citrus reamer can be used to extract the juice from lemons and limes. Available in most kitchen supply stores, this tool would be ideal to use for the citrus in this recipe.

Choose organic taco shells to avoid GMOs, and check the label to make sure they are gluten-free and do not contain any added wheat.

In blender, combine tamari, water, agave nectar, dulse, vinegar, ginger and mirin. Blend at high speed until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until ready to use.

Noodles

In a large saucepan of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions.

Using a colander, drain and immediately rinse under cold running water to remove excess starch. Set drained noodles aside.

Vegetables

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat grapeseed oil. Add ginger and cook until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Add bok choy, mushrooms, cabbage and red pepper. Cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes (be careful not to overcook, as you want the vegetables to retain their color).

I heard Doug McNish on a podcast lately (speaking about veganism and faux meat) and he was so well spoken. He had a lot of interesting thoughts on how to create umami with vegan food, and he said this cookbook is filled with more tips! I would love a copy, and I heard great things about his restaurant, too.

I love Doug McNish's food, it's always plenty flavourful and full of plant-based nutrition! I haven't cooked from this cookbook yet, but I've flipped through it a bunch at the TVA. Those tacos look epicccc thanks for joining in on the #VeganCookbookLove Joann! (sorry for the late response to this, I'm crazy behind in life)

Hi! I'm Joann, a Toronto, Canada freelance writer and mother of two kids and two beagle-mix rescue pups. Inspiration is all around us, but how often do we miss it as we speed through our days crossing things off our lists? Grab a cup of tea and join me in exploring the art in everyday life, including diy, decor, books and lots of easy-to-make, family-friendly vegan food.